manifest destiny
by writerdragonfly
Summary: CI Barry Allen is a conman. Breaking into his FBI handler's house to steal something and make his escape from custody? No big deal... right? Written for Coldflash Week, Day 6.


_**Author's Note:** I forgot to post this. Sad, I know. _

_White Collar, role reversal AU._

* * *

He looks out the window of the door, watches as Lisa and Cisco climb into Lisa's car. The alarm is disengaged, but Barry knows he still has to act fast. There isn't a lot of time for this, Lisa could decide to turn around at any time.

He has to do this fast, but he _can't_ use his powers. Not for this. Len would know, and the point of doing it this way is so that he doesn't.

Barry sneaks his way upstairs into Len's bedroom, quietly looking around for Len's safe. It's not hard to open-Barry's not a master thief for nothing-though it does take a bit of time.

But when the safe opens, Barry sees it right there on top.

A manifest from the U-Boat, wrapped in an evidence bag. Exactly what he's looking for.

He takes a picture of it, the flash of the camera somewhat bright in the dimly lit bedroom. He's about to put the manifest back when his phone starts to vibrate in his hands.

"Hey, Len. How's the stakeout?"

"Mick's on a coffee run-didn't even grumble about it for once. Listen, that call you made... before you left the office tonight?" Len asks. Barry stops, a thread of guilt and unease running through him.

"Yeah?"

"Was it Iris?"

Barry relaxes, just a little. Because it hadn't been Iris he'd called-it'd been Cisco, to give the go ahead for the plan-but Iris is a safer topic.

"She, ha, hasn't been taking my calls," Barry says. It's true, and this... this he can say without lying to Len about who he'd called.

"Aww, Scarlet. That's gotta be weighing on you."

Barry can't help but smile a little at that.

"You have no idea," he tells Len, because he doesn't.

"Listen, you and I have been through some stuff," Len starts. Barry takes the time to sit down on Len's bed, wondering where Len is going with this.

"And we've had to keep things from each other, with your powers and my own and everything else. But... if you want to talk, and I-you know, I mean, really talk... I'm here for you." Len finishes. Barry sets the manifest on the bed next to him.

It means so much more than Barry wants to think about to hear Len say that, so much more.

"Is this the loneliness of the van talking?" Barry jokes a little, his voice ages lighter than he feels.

"Maybe, maybe," Len is saying, and Barry can hear the lift of amusement in his voice, "But I, you know, think you deserve some happiness, Bare. And whatever I can do to help you with that, let me know."

"Thanks, Len," Barry manages, and he knows he's on the edge of choked up but he can't help it.

Because there is so much that Len still doesn't know. Because he's sitting on Len's bed with the manifest that could be the key to him and Cisco taking off for an island somewhere far from... all of this.

"That means a lot," Barry finishes.

"Yeah, no problem. See you tomorrow, Barry," Len says.

"See you tomorrow," Barry replies, hanging up the phone.

Before, before it had felt so easy. This life, being rooted to a two mile space in the middle of Central City-it's not much of a life. Wandering the world, doing what he wanted and when he wanted to, not giving a damn about the consequences... it had been so amazing and free and real. He'd done his time in prison, made his penance with having it doubled because of his stupid mistakes, and he was lucky, he knew, to be out of the tiny cells and bland meals in prison. He was lucky to have a two mile radius.

He was lucky to have Len, even when the older man didn't trust him.

Barry sighs, wondering how one little phone call could mess all of his emotions up like this all over again.

His phone vibrates again, and Barry looks down to see Cisco's name on the face of it.

He sighs again, because he still doesn't know what to do anymore. He waits. It vibrates twice more before he answers it.

"Hey."

"The suspense is killing me. Did you find the Captain's safe?" Cisco asks. Exactly what Barry had expected from his oldest friend.

"I did."

"Did you get in?"

Barry pauses for a second, "I did."

"And?"

Barry looks down at the manifest, still sitting on top of Len's comforter.

"The manifest wasn't in there, Cisco. I'm sorry. Listen, we both knew this was a long shot, right?"

"Well, yes, but I..."

"I gotta get outta here, let's talk tomorrow."

They hang up and Barry holds the phone in his lap. He looks at the manifest again, looks around the room.

And then he sits with his elbows leaning on his knees, sighing into his hands.

Because he's made his choice, hasn't he?

This life-living under the thumb of an FBI agent, helping him solve the crimes of his fellow thieves, restricted to an amount of space that he hasn't lived in since he was a kid-it's difficult. It's almost suffocating sometimes.

But... staying in loft style bedroom where he has three times the space of the motel he nearly ended up in and far larger than the cell he'd had before, hanging out with Joe in the mornings before work, eating dinner with Len and sometimes Lisa in their home, being a part of something more than the temporary excitement of a heist... it's a life. It's a _home_ where Barry hasn't really had one in years.

Maybe two years ago he wouldn't have hesitated.

But two years ago, he wasn't the Flash... and two years ago, being strapped with a tracking anklet and forced into regular contact with the FBI was hardly less of a punishment than prison was. Just enough _less_ to be worth it.

Two years ago, he knew Special Agent Snart but he didn't know _Len_ , and maybe that's just enough of a reason to stay.


End file.
